My Blog

I got a plea from the Broward shelter to help a little unnamed 8 pound terrier who was so terrified that no one could touch him. He had bitten a shelter employee and would certainly not be given much time pas the quarantine period. Being fairly full, I wasn't crazy about the idea but I couldn't let him die without a chance, so I agreed to take him. My friends in Miami named him Willie. Willie was transported to Elfie's Refuge but a group of volunteers, each driving for about an hour before passing him on to the next driver. Because he was baring his teeth at everyone, he could not be taken out of the crate on his way here.

I moved him directly from the crate to a playpen in our kitchen. At first Willie would not eat and he certainly wasn't going to let anyone touch him. He would lurch at you with mouth open and teeth showing if you got too close. So I just sat with him on the outside of the playpen and talked to him for about an hour every time. I let him see my hands while I talked to him and ran them along the outside of the playpen. After a day or so he started eating a little. He was so thin, he just had to be hungry!!! He wasn't as scared when I put his food and water in the playpen for him, or cleaned up and gave him new bedding. Slowly, I could tell it was making a difference.

On Christmas morning I came out to find that Willie had jumped out of the playpen and was loose in the kitchen. I sat down on the floor and and spoke to him and he inched closer. Finally he let me touch his head and gently pat him. It was his beautiful Christmas present to me. By the end of the day he was sitting in my lap. Willie was mine, or rather, he had chosen me.

Now its a month later. Willie sleeps in my arms, he screams with excitement when I come home and throws himself into my arms. I bought him his own special collar. He's not scared anymore.